Metal clad soft seat valve closure assembly



Dec. 8, 1964 G. w. BANKS METAL CLAD SOFT SEAT VALVE CLOSURE ASSEMBLY Filed July 28. 1961 GEORGE W. BANKS ATTORNEY United States Patent O rasees METAL CLAD sottrsnAr vALvE CLosUnn ASSEMBLY George W. Banks, 12424 14th Ave. S., Seattle 88, Wash.

Filed .luiy 28, 1961, Ser. No. 127,596 3 Claims. (Cl. 251-334) This invention relates to the general field of high pressure fluid valves which are intended to operateat pressures up to and in excess of 20,000 p.s.i. Specifically, this invention relates to a metal clad soft seat assembly developed to allow plastic seats to be successfully used in valves which operate in the higher pressure ranges.

This present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending U.S. patent application Serial No. 630,694, now United States Patent 2,994,343, issued August l, 1961. i

Technological developments in many elds now require an accurate control of high pressure tiuids. This is particularly true in the missile field where the required pressures are constantly increasing and this has made it necessary to re-evaluate the construction of valves as formerly employed and to provide means so that they can operate at high pressures for reasonably long times. In this present valve construction theinitial closing, opening and iioW metering are accomplished by an all-metal piston-type valve-formed normally as part of the valve spindle or made separately and secured to or controliedv by the valve spindle assembly. ln this first phase of the control ofhigh pressure fluids, continued satisfactoryservice is best achieved by using an all-metal piston-typervalve closure member which operates on an all-metal seat. In the second phase of uid control Vthere is a need for minute metering as well as the further need for a positive shut-off to prevent any leakage, particularly that which might interfere seriously with test equipment. The second phase of this valves operation therefore is best achieved by using the so-called sofseat valve which employs a plastic ring. or washer. A suitable material has been found in materials of the family of tetrafluoroethylene of which Teiion and other harder materials of the same general category are representative. This form of plastic will iiow under adequatel pressure yet it can be employed in presenting adequate surfaces so thatrovertorqueing of the valve can be prevented.

The minute metering and positive shut-off Vusing this type of material are obtained by placing a force, as by a screw operated by a manual handle, on the entire upperV surface of the soft seat which causes it to apply heavy pressure on the plastic material and this in turn causes the plastic to cold-flow andengage the metering pin, which it encircles, under high pressure for A the final and'positiveY sures is desired and the change of pressure requiresvery small flows which are diiiicult to control.

A further object is to provide la metal-to-metal liow control means with a unitary metering pin held securely in the center of the flow orifice throughout the entire iiow period. This construction insures stable, accurate metering throughout the full range of the valve capacity.

A further object of this invention is to provide a valve closure assembly which will not be damaged by overtorqueing. This desirable vproperty is safeguarded by having substantially the entire area of the Teflon seat Iabsorb any over-torqueing stress which the control can of safety.

A further object of this invention is to provide a leakproof shut-oli which can still-be depended upon for this control even though the fluid may contain smallv amounts y of foreign material or solid particles.

A further object of this invention is to provide a valve seat of -tetraflucroethylene or similar Lmaterial for the final sealing yof the valve which is so enclosed in metal that-` it is completely protected from extrusion, or from-`darnagkr ing high velocities of the fiuids or high diierential'pressures across the plasticseat which promotes very fast erosion at times. .Y

A `further object of thisinvention is to provide a design in which all the wearing parts are contained inthe spindle vbarrel assembly and are quicklyremoved without distur ing the normal plumbing or. fitting in which the valve is used.

that are interchangeable so that they may be replaced in a mornents time land will thus provide continuity of service with a very minimum of operational shut-down. n

A further object of this invention is to provide a valve housing or body that is provided with a plurality ofy conduit engaging bosses, one of which can be plugged with a screw-in plug to give a wide range of .adaptability of'.

the valves. v

A further object of this present valve is to provide dust guard means to protect certain of the moving parts from i the destructive effects of the ambient air or other condi-V tions present in the local environmentunder which the valve may be caused to Work. Y f

A further `object is to gprovidefa valve that is readily g adaptable to panel mounting and Whichmay be changed, v quickly from a globe to an angle valve or vice versa by simply moving the screw-in plug from one of the bosses to another or when used Without a plug a common feed line can be directed to two separate tanks Without additional feed linepiping. v i f i f 't IA, further object is to provide thatthe `same body barrel and moving seal may use two or more sized vorices by interchanging the spindle,` characterization ports and the seat assembly.

Further objects, advantages and capabilitieswillbeap- I parent from the` disclosure in the drawings or may be aging high velocities of fiuid from 'striking the seats at any angle approaching a right angle. `It is believedthat in this present applicationa method and structure is provided that overcomes many of the deficiencies noted'in the past and gives a long-lasting valve which Will properly handle relatively large iiuid ows and can, in addition, be depended upon to give accurate minute metering control with a final positive'and complete shut-off. v v

The principal object of this present invention, therefore,

is to provide a valve of quite Wide range of convertibility p adapting this valve for use where control of static pres- Y y V"contprehended or are inherent in the device FIGURE 1 is an elevation in section showing a panelmounted valve Vandvshowing also an extreme form of a metering pin' together with means whichinsure that in v f an attempt to over-torquethe valve the pressure onzthe soft seat `is uniform throughout;V yits entire area, including the central opening, which therefore gives an unusual in FIGURE 1 illustrating how the mechatnsm 'maybe A further object is to provide spindle barrel assemblies gripping eect on `the cylindrical portionof the metering .Y f 'A FIGURE 2' is a View er valve similar to .that shawnv 1ct this material'is desirablethat can be made up In the drawings, throughout which like reference charf acters *indicate like parts, Ais a three boss type ofv convent` ible valve body 10. l

Referring, t9 HGURE y1J the Samethree bess body l0 iS employed, having the bosses 63;, ed and 6,5, all internally `threaded to accept suitable uid s npply conduits. in FLGURE 1V however the plug 62j is employed in boss 64 so as to Ishow the ,globe valve assembly of this valve. Valve Spindle 70 is of a modied eonstruetien but still 'employs the Cylindrical valve closure member ,2S andthe ar =reiil meterme portion 55." The ycylindrical Sealing portion 49A is extended in length so as to permit a modilied .ferm 'of the metal .cladY 4Saft Seat valve assemblyl The Sett Seat r plastle Sealing means' ,is indicated at 7 1 as a conventional washer of plastic material of the type noted, except that for high pressures `apharder temper This washer is enclosed within the walls of the connterbore formed within the secondary spindle barrel 72. Disposed above and below the Teflon washer are preferably steel washers 7.4 and 75- vThese Washers and the wall 77 of the secondary Spindle Y barrel 72 and the cylindrical portion 49a0f the spindle j form a complete metal enclosure for the plastic washer 71 when the valve is closed. YIt is believed apparent that when spindle 70 is moved downwardly by the modified handle 60a and the (threads 8 8 which coact to this end, relativelyhigh initial c ompressionpressure can be placed When, however, high pressures are. involved, and these f Valves can handle pressures inthe range of 12,000 p.s`.i Y or higher, it has beenfound that any tendency for the high pressures to pass through the seal effected by washer 71 causes suflicient pressure build up to cause a decided flow of the Teon and insure that it will Agrip the walls copending U.S. Vpatent application Serial No. 630,694,

now United States Patent 2,994,343, issued August 1, 1961. It is to be noted that the secondary spindle barrel 72 is sealed at its lowermost end by the O-ring sealing means shown at S3.

sealing here is effected by a Teflon ring sealing member 92 which is positioned by au overhang-ing ledge 40 formed as part of the secondary spindle barrel 72. The upper support for the Teflon ring/91?.,V is the metal ring 91. In this arrangement, as before, the Teon sealing member 92 is fully enclosed in metal'when the valve is closed land the main flow is opened or closed by the cylindrical valve'closure member 28. Consequently, the Teflon ring 92 has'the -prirne purpose of handling small quantities of fluid under precise metering conditionsand to insure a completerclosure when the valve is closed. Pressure'for this closure is supplied initially by the: downward travel o f closure member 28 augmented by fluid pressure which Will compress the Tedon and force it out in both directions transversely, as viewed, to seal the inner wall of the secondary spindle barrel and the outer surface of the cylindrical sealing portion 49B of the spindle assembly.

This valve is optionally convertible to either globe or angle valve and further has a dust packing means at 94 to protect the threads 96 from the ingress of contaminants and abrasives. Handle 60B is of a slightly modified form, the constructional details of which are believed apparent from FIGURE 2. The packing means to prevent the flow of uid along the stem 70 is the same as shown in FlG- URE 1 and relates back to my copending U.S. Patent application Serial No. 630,694,now U.S. Patent 2,994,- 343, issued August 1, 1961. The valve spindle barrel S0 is sealed'by awTeonr-ing $1 asin FltGURE 1 and the secondary Vspindle lbarrel is sealed in this instance by a similar "O-ring-SlA. l Y

In theI closing cycle, the flow` is first cut off by an allmetal piston-type valve." At this point in the closing cycle it should beY noted that the soft seat is still not in contact withk the moving spindle so there is no differential pressure across it. At this point in thecycle where contact is made, the soft sea-t completely fills its metal continement which issclose fitting enough to avoid any extrusion.

It is believedfthat ity will be apparent from rthe above description and the disclosure in the drawings that the invention comprehends a novel construction of a high pressure uid valve having a metal clad soft'seat valve closure In FIGURE 1, me'anshave been employed toprotect i the spindle moving threads 8 8 trom abrasives, dust `and the like. This 'shielding consists of a tubularshield ar-y rangement Sd which-is secured to the assembly nut 85 and is spaced somewhat from the threaded hub S of handle 69A and between these two ris provided a dirt guard ring 87. The reciprocating movement of Vvalve spindle ltlis obtained bythe coaction of threads 8S disposed on the spindle barrel 80 and handle 60A. Y v

v Referring to FIGURE'Z there isshown a valve in which many of the parts are identical with the val-ve of VFIG- URE.- 1`V so thatv thevalve spindle barrel assembly lcan be removed and the assemblies interchanged between the two valves or anew assembly of the'same type may thus replace a damaged one. This is an `important economy in that this type of valve'for high pressuresis an expenf.

sive construction vand the-tolerances requiredY far exceed 'A those ever employed before in valve construction. it therefore is very practical to havea valve 'with elements i in advance andrassembled to meet a given need.V

The principal difference in the showing of over FIGURE l is the actual valve closure means. in

this particular'version thespindle andthe cylindrical Valve closure member 2S arev identical and the same is true for Having thus described my invention, I claim;

1. A high pressure metering valve for fluids comprising a Valve body formed with a cylindrical spindle opening including a lower cylindrical end Vterminating in a bottom, va first passageway for liu-id coaxial with said spindle opening and communicating with said bottom, a second passageway .for fluid `communicating with said lower end of' said spindle openingabove the bottom thereof, a'valve disc' having a circular bore defining an interior surface inV said disc, said .disc being composed of cold flowing plastic and said disc being positioned within said'lowerr end of said spindle opening, metal enclosing `means for said plastic valve disc engaging the entire exterior surface thereof, aprimary spindle barrel secured wrthinsaid spindle opening and having its lower end termlnatmg'q above said second passageway, a secondary Yspindle barrel positioned-within said primary spindle' bar.-

rel and'extending below the lower end thereof, said secondaryspindle barrel having a lower cylindrical portion fittedjwithin the .lower end of said spindle opening, said lower cylindrical' portionbeing formed with ports positioned above `the lower end of said secondary spindle bar- Lrel, said ports communicating between the interior of said secondaryrspindle barrel and said second passageway for obstructing'said ports to permit slow metered' passage of fluid through said valve while said portsare obstructed l and said ports being Positioned sufficientlyy above the lower end of said secondary spindle barrel solthat said metering point is well raway from the cold owing plastic of Said valve disc before said piston valve portion is moved suciently to start opening said ports.

2. A valve as recited in claim 1 in which said valve disc is fitted within an annular recess in the lower end of said secondary spindle barrel.

3. A valve as recited in claim 1 in which said ports are spaced around the periphery of said seondary spindle barrel, said ports communicating fluid from the interior of said secondary spindle barrel .to said second passageway by means of an annular uid distributing chamber formed between said ports and said lower cylindrical end of said spindle opening.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Raybould Dec. 28, 1948 Gannon Oct. 18, 1949 Bryant May 7, 1957 Bryant May 5, 1959 Bryant July 21, 1959 Anderson Q May 23, 1961 Nenzell Aug. 8, 1961 

1. A HIGH PRESSURE METERING VALVE FOR FLUIDS COMPRISING A VALVE BODY FORMED WITH A CYLINDRICAL SPINDLE OPENING INCLUDING A LOWER CYLINDRICAL END TERMINATING IN A BOTTOM, A FIRST PASSAGEWAY FOR FLUID COAXIAL WITH SAID SPINDLE OPENING AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BOTTOM, A SECOND PASSAGEWAY FOR FLUID COMMUNICATING WITH SAID LOWER END OF SAID SPINDLE OPENING ABOVE THE BOTTOM THEREOF, A VALVE DISC HAVING A CIRCULAR BORE DEFINING AN INTERIOR SURFACE IN SAID DISC, SAID DISC BEING COMPOSED OF COLD FLOWING PLASTIC AND SAID DISC BEING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID LOWER END OF SAID SPINDLE OPENING, METAL ENCLOSING MEANS FOR SAID PLASTIC VALVE DISC ENGAGING THE ENTIRE EXTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF, A PRIMARY SPINDLE BARREL SECURED WITHIN SAID SPINDLE OPENING AND HAVING ITS LOWER END TERMINATING ABOVE SAID SECOND PASSAGEWAY, A SECONDARY SPINDLE BARREL POSITIONED WITHIN SAID PRIMARY SPINDLE BARREL AND EXTENDING BELOW THE LOWER END THEREOF, SAID SECONDARY SPINDLE BARREL HAVING A LOWER CYLINDRICAL PORTION FITTED WITHIN THE LOWER END OF SAID SPINDLE OPENING, SAID LOWER CYLINDRICAL PORTION BEING FORMED WITH PORTS POSITIONED ABOVE THE LOWER END OF SAID SECONDARY SPINDLE BARREL, SAID PORTS COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE INTERIOR OF SAID SECONDARY SPINDLE BARREL AND SAID SECOND PASSAGEWAY FOR FLUID, AND A VALVE STEM LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE WITHIN SAID SPINDLE BARRELS AND HAVING A PISTON VALVE PORTION AND A TAPERED METERING POINT, SAID TAPERED METERING POINT BEING ADAPTED TO SEALINGLY ENGAGE THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID VALVE DISC, SAID PISTON VALVE PORTION OF SAID VALVE STEM OBSTRUCTING SAID PORTS TO PERMIT SLOW METERED PASSAGE OF FLUID THROUGH SAID VALVE WHILE SAID PORTS ARE OBSTRUCTED AND SAID PORTS BEING POSITIONED SUFFICIENTLY ABOVE THE LOWER END OF SAID SECONDARY SPINDLE BARREL SO THAT SAID METERING POINT IS WELL AWAY FROM THE COLD FLOWING PLASTIC OF SAID VALVE DISC BEFORE SAID PISTON VALVE PORTION IS MOVED SUFFICIENTLY TO START OPENING SAID PORTS. 